For hundreds of years watches were made with just three materials: brass, steel, and ruby. Patek Philippe is often considered the guardian of watchmaking’s conservative craftsmanship, but with its limited-edition 5550P perpetual calendar, it’s taken a bold leap into a high tech future.

The 5550P uses components made from silicon, a material associated with integrated circuits, in the very heart of the watch: the escapement. Using cutting edge techniques, the new escapement, dubbed the Oscillomax, incorporates ultra strong, ultra light silicon into the balance, lever, and hairspring of the watch to produce a mechanism more mechanically efficient and immune to the effects of magnetism. Only 300 examples of the ref. 5550P Perpetual Calendar will be available worldwide. Get ‘em while they’re haute.